Courtesy Winnipeg Free Press:

We interrupt the giddy excitement leading up to another Winnipeg Blue Bomber season with a harsh slap in the chops — courtesy of the bookmakers in Las Vegas.

It would seem Vegas bookies aren’t overly impressed with the Bombers’ efforts to keep intact a team that, minus its starting quarterback, lost in last November’s Grey Cup by a measly four points. Kevin Glenn is healthy again and firing missiles? Big deal. Tom Canada, Dan Goodspeed and Matt Sheridan all re-signed rather than leaving via free agency? Yawn.

Vegas has the Bombers as 9-to-2 to win the Grey Cup, tied with the Calgary Stampeders, but behind the Toronto Argonauts (5-to-2) and B.C. Lions (3-to-1).

The defending champion Saskatchewan Roughriders are listed at 6-to-1.

“Let me ask you, who picked us to win last year? Nobody,” began Bomber receiver Terrence Edwards. “If it was legal to bet on your team, yes I would put money on us. This team has got everybody back almost from a Grey Cup run and if we can stay healthy and get a little lucky I think we’ve got a good chance to go back.

“But the oddsmakers don’t control what happens in this locker-room, they don’t control the play calls or who catches passes… that’s their opinion. They do what they do to make money, but we don’t pay any attention to that.”

Just FYI, most oddsmakers also have the Argos — who made the most significant addition in the off-season by trading for Most Outstanding Player Kerry Joseph — pegged to win the East Division. But if you think that little tidbit has the Bombers frothing and ready to rip out the throats of their opponents, think again.

“I could not care less about our Grey Cup odds right now,” said defensive tackle Doug Brown as the Bombers completed their final full practice before Friday’s opener against the Boatmen. “Any time we’ve even been to the Grey Cup I can assure you we were not picked to be there. All I’m thinking about is our game against Toronto. The playoffs are so far away… besides, I can’t talk about betting things because I think that’s prohibited by the league.

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